On Sunday, October 19, 2014, barbecue enthusiasts of all ages are invited to get their fix of Texas barbecue, barbecue sauce, local craft beer, and live music at Man Up Texas BBQ’s 5th Annual Gettin' Sauced! festival, presented by TexasFood.com.

The event will feature barbecue and/or barbecue sauce more than a dozen Texas barbecue/sauce purveyors (including Central Texas favorites like Black’s Barbecue, Louie Mueller Barbecue, Snow’s BBQ, and Opie’s Barbecue), local craft beer from six breweries, cider from Austin Eastciders, live music by opening act Fog and Bone and headliner Mayeux and Broussard, door prizes, and more. Want more than barbecue? No problem. Cuvee Coffee, Honest Tea, KIND Healthy Snacks, Miche Bread, and OMG! Cheesecakery will be on hand.

Event entry is free, though sampling the barbecue and barbecue sauce will require a barbecue wristband, with both general-admission wristbands ($15 online and $20 at the gate) and VIP packages ($35 online and $40 at the gate) available. VIP packages include entry to the event 30 minutes before general-admission entry, a Gettin’ Sauced! pint glass, a Gettin’ Sauced! koozie, The Q Card, and more!

]]>http://texasfood.com/blog/gettin-sauced-5/feed/0The 2nd Annual Houston Barbecue Festival – Sunday April 6thhttp://texasfood.com/blog/hou-bbq/
http://texasfood.com/blog/hou-bbq/#commentsFri, 28 Mar 2014 21:36:51 +0000http://texasfood.com/blog/?p=1030The 2nd annual Houston Barbecue comes to town next Sunday April 6th. I attended the festival last year but this year we will have a booth! Stop by and say hello and get some free samples, swag, and a chance to win a $250 gift certificate.

The goal of the Houston Barbecue Festival is to celebrate and recognize what is unique about Houston barbecue. Specifically:

- Make the citizens of Houston (and Texas, and the U.S., etc.) aware of the long history of barbecue here and that the quality of Houston barbecue is comparable to other regional styles of barbecue.

- Recognize the talent, hard work, and dedication of the owners and pitmasters that make Houston barbecue great.
- Make Houstonians true connoisseurs of barbecue by offering samples of great barbecue so they can choose to patronize those barbecue joints committed to only the highest quality of barbecue.
- Celebrate the diversity of Houston barbecue by including the many styles of barbecue found here.

If you enjoy eating BBQ this is THE event not to miss. Ticket sales are limited to ensure you will get more than enough to eat. Last year I literally had a meat hangover for 2 days. It would be pretty expensive to drive around to all of these great BBQ joints, why not have them all come to one place! For $50 you can sample generous portions of over 20 Houston based BBQ restaurants and food trucks. There's even some special guests coming from out of town; Louie Mueller from Taylor, TX and Morgan's Texas Barbecue from Brooklyn, NY ( honestly, some of these Brooklyn guys knows what's up, I'm interested to see how they are representing the Texas name).

From the legendary pits and pitmasters at Kreuz Market in Lockhart, TX direct to your door. You can now order delicious smoked meats from Kreuz Market on TexasFood.com! Throw a BBQ feast for your friends or relatives. Why not send some smokey goodness to your out of state family or friends.

Kreuz Market Beef Ribs

Kreuz Market Beef Shoulder Clod

Kreuz Market Boneless Barbecue Turkey Breast

Kreuz Market Boneless Pit Ham

Kreuz Market Boneless Prime Rib

Kreuz Market Dry Cured Sausage

Kreuz Market Homemade Wieners

Kreuz Market Jalapeño Cheese Sausage

Kreuz Market Jalapeño Dry Cured Sausage

Kreuz Market Original Fat Beef Brisket

Kreuz Market Original Sausage

Kreuz Market Pork Chops

Kreuz Market Pork Spare Ribs

Kreuz Market Holy Trinity BBQ Combo

Kreuz Market (pronounced “Krites”) prides itself on concentrating on the quality of its barbecue and sausage.

Good meat with just a few basic seasonings cooked with the right wood correctly is all you need. We feel that sauce is for the covering up the flavor of the meat which we want to accent, so we have no sauce. - Keith Schmidt, Owner, Kreuz Market

The Beginning - Charles Kreuz Sr. started Kreuz Market in 1900 as a meat market and grocery store in Lockhart, Texas. Refrigeration was not very good at turn of the century and no one wanted to throw away good quality meat. So Kreuz began to barbecue and smoke meats and sausage out of the fresh cuts that had not sold. To prevent wasting meat by letting it spoil, Charles Kreuz Sr. would cook the better cuts on barbecue pits and use the lesser cuts to make sausage.

Customers would buy their barbecue and sausage (which was wrapped in butcher paper), then buy some items from the grocery store to go along with it, and eat it off the butcher paper. Kreuz customers ate with their hands and a pocket knife with NO SAUCE. By 1924, the barbecue business had grown. The Kreuz Brothers sold one third of the company to relative Hugo Prove. The new partners built a new building that had considerable room for dining indoors.

Kreuz Market owner Keith Schmidt carries on the family traditions.

Kreuz Market owner Keith Schmidt carries on the family traditions established back in 1900. Charles’ sons and Prove ran Kreuz Market until 1948, when Edgar Schmidt, who had worked there since 1936, bought the market. In the 1960′s, Edgar closed the grocery store and kept some of the more popular “side items” for the barbecue restaurant, such as crackers, bread, pickles, onions, cheese, and other familiar items. These are still on the Kreuz Market menu today.

In 1984, Edgar sold the business to his sons, Rick and Don Schmidt. They ran the increasingly popular restaurant until Don’s retirement in 1997. In 1999, Rick Schmidt was forced to move the popular barbecue business from its original home of 99 years to a newer and bigger facility a quarter mile north of the old location. Along with the new building came some new items on the Kreuz menu, most notably: pork spare ribs, beans, German potato salad, sauerkraut, and a new jalapeno cheese sausage. Rick retired in 2011 after his son Keith bought out the business. Keith Schmidt is continuing the Kreuz Market tradition for generations to come.

Kreuz Market is located in Lockhart, Texas, the center of the “Barbecue Belt”. But don’t look for any barbecue sauce or forks as they are still missing in action from Kreuz Market to this day. We still rely on our cooking methods and choice cuts of meat to achieve the flavor that so many have come to expect from Kreuz Market.

]]>http://texasfood.com/blog/stellar-gourmet/feed/0Savory Books Announces New Title, The Veritas Cookbook: Cooking with Chef Taihttp://texasfood.com/blog/veritas-cookbook/
http://texasfood.com/blog/veritas-cookbook/#commentsSun, 19 Jan 2014 04:42:43 +0000http://texasfood.com/blog/?p=978COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS – Savory Books has announced the forthcoming publication of The Veritas Cookbook: Cooking with Chef Tai. Chef Tai Lee of Veritas Wine Bar and Bistro in College Station, Texas, is renowned for creating innovative cuisine fusing French, American and Asian influences and using only the best seasonal and sustainable ingredients. “Sharing those flavors with you in this cookbook gives me immense pleasure,” says Chef Tai. “To be able to impart a bit of my style into your home kitchen is a gift like no other.

Chef Tai Lee highlights the art of cooking and nutritional awareness to construct a full sensory experience. Since opening in 2007, Chef Tai and Veritas Wine Bar and Bistro have won many awards, including the Reader’s Choice Award 2013, the Open Table Dinner’s Choice Award 2009-2013, the Best of Brazos Award 2008-2013 and the Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence 2007-2010. Chef Tai studied under Master Sushi Chef Soon Park, widely known as the “Sushi God.” “One of the greatest lessons he taught me was to cook from my heart and to not simply just serve customers,” says Chef Tai. “I need to treat each and every one of them as if they were a personal guest at my home table.

The Veritas Cookbook brings some of Chef Tai’s signature dishes—pan roasted monk fish with a butter and miso demi glace, Chinese five-spice brined lamb grilled over a bed of rosemary, chilled watermelon soup, Asian steak carpaccio—to your home table. The cookbook showcases the simplicity of preparing fine ingredients to share at home with friends and family. The Veritas Cookbook: Cooking with Chef Tai can be ordered here or purchased at Veritas Wine Bar and Bistro beginning December 20, 2013.

Savory Books publishes cookbooks featuring top restaurant owners and chefs from across the country. In an era of huge publishing houses that have too many titles to provide individual support, Savory Books is different. We strive to make the publishing process a fun and rewarding experience for our authors, so they can focus on what they do best and we can focus on helping them share their talents with the world.For More Information Contact

]]>http://texasfood.com/blog/veritas-cookbook/feed/02013 TexasFood.com Year in Reviewhttp://texasfood.com/blog/2013review/
http://texasfood.com/blog/2013review/#commentsTue, 31 Dec 2013 15:46:47 +0000http://texasfood.com/blog/?p=975We were very busy in 2013 adding new manufacturers and Texas made products to our family. This year we saw increased interest in pralines, jellybeans, jerky, and cookies. We added several exciting new and unique products such as hot sauce made with green apples and smoked brisket from the first family in Texas BBQ.

A special shout out to Milican Pecan Co. for providing several new very popular pecan gift tins this year.

The top 5 states where our products are sold:

1. Texas
2. California
3. Florida
4. Illinois
5. New York

We want to thank you for your support and we look forward to bringing you even more exciting, new, Texas made foods in 2014!

]]>http://texasfood.com/blog/2013review/feed/1Austin Named Top Hot Sauce City in the UShttp://texasfood.com/blog/austin-named-top-hot-sauce-city-in-the-us/
http://texasfood.com/blog/austin-named-top-hot-sauce-city-in-the-us/#commentsSun, 06 Oct 2013 18:49:04 +0000http://texasfood.com/blog/?p=929From the Movoto Blog , a list of the top 10 best cities for hot sauce lovers. http://www.movoto.com/blog/top-ten/10-best-cities-for-hot-sauce-lovers/

I agree with most of this article, however the omission of San Antonio or El Paso is amusing. If you take into account the asian and south american influence, Houston should be much higher on the list. However, with regard to the festivals and overall hot sauce buzz, this list is pretty much spot on. Take it for what it is, it's a real estate blog and yet another top ten list, but I found it interesting enough to share.

]]>http://texasfood.com/blog/austin-named-top-hot-sauce-city-in-the-us/feed/0Food, fun, music, dancing, BEER & BACON will come together for one great summer evening!http://texasfood.com/blog/beer-bacon/
http://texasfood.com/blog/beer-bacon/#commentsThu, 25 Jul 2013 04:11:33 +0000http://texasfood.com/blog/?p=919The Professionals in Culinary Arts (a 501c3 non-profit) is creating a new event open to the public called HOPS & HOGS - Beer and Baconmania! Chefs, food vendors and the area culinary schools will provide bacon infused samples to taste. The event is designed to provide scholarships in the culinary fields at the Houston metro area culinary schools.

HOPS & HOGS - Beer and Baconmania! created by the Professionals in Culinary Arts takes place on July 30, 2013 at Saint Arnold's brewery. The unique ticketed event is designed to serve the greater Houston Metro area with a fun and delicious gastronomic experience with a special goal of culinary scholarships to promote the next level of great culinary experts. Taste and creativity will be rewarded through trophies and for the students - scholarships.

Funds raised at the event though ticket sales go to area culinary schools and will be designated exclusively for student scholarships. Over the last several years, the Professionals in Culinary Arts has given almost $40,000 in scholarships to students at greater Houston culinary schools through an annual televised even called HOT HOT HAUTE! This is the first year for the new event, HOPS & HOGS - Beer and Baconmania!

]]>http://texasfood.com/blog/beer-bacon/feed/0White Rock Local Market Announces Summer Workshop Serieshttp://texasfood.com/blog/white-rock-local-market-announces-summer-workshop-series/
http://texasfood.com/blog/white-rock-local-market-announces-summer-workshop-series/#commentsTue, 07 May 2013 15:20:31 +0000http://texasfood.com/blog/?p=906Dallas, TX --- White Rock Local Market’s 2013 Summer Workshop Series highlights local growers and artisans with fun and informative classes held at First Unitarian Church of Dallas. Proceeds from the series will benefit programs offered by White Rock Local Market including Love Your Farmer volunteer days, cooking demos, Sprouting Healthy Kids - a hands-on gardening and nutrition after school program, SNAP/Lone Star food stamp program and White Rock Local Garden.

On June 22 (9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.) Kathy Neumuller from JJ&B Jams and Jellies and Karen Phelps from In a Pickle walk you through the process of canning and pickling summer’s bounty during “You Can Pickle That!” Demonstrating hot bath canning, brine and spices for quick pickling as well as shelf safe pickling, students will pickle their own vegetables and preserves. $50 per person and $40 for WRLM members includes a light lunch.

Learn the basics from some of the best brewers in Texas during “In Heaven There is No Beer…” Home Brewing 101 on July 20 (11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.). Ty Wolosin and Kevin Sykes from Wind Hill Organics demonstrate a partial or mini-mash technique easily done at home. Workshop includes lunch from Luscher’s Post Oak Red Hots, beer tastings and discussion from Lakewood Brewing Company, take home instructions and basic supplies. Cost is $75 per person and $50 for WRLM Members.

Reservations are required for all classes. A package of three classes may be purchased for $150 or $120 for members of WRLM. For more information and to purchase tickets go to www.dallasuu.org, call 214-797-4989 or sign up at the WRLM information desk on a market day. First Unitarian Church of Dallas is located at 5700 Preston Road, Dallas 75205.

White Rock Local Market is a 501 (c)(3) tax exempt organization sustained by contributions and memberships. Individual memberships for 2013, from Seeds ($25) to Beyond Organic ($1,000) and everywhere in between are on-sale now at www.whiterocklocalmarket.com. Membership benefits vary.

White Rock Local Markets are open from 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 through December 8. The first and third Saturdays of the month markets will be located at Lakeside Baptist Church, 9051 Garland Road. Markets on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays at the Green Spot are located at 702 North Buckner Boulevard. For more information, event calendar, vendor listings and memberships go to www.whiterocklocalmarket.com.

]]>http://texasfood.com/blog/white-rock-local-market-announces-summer-workshop-series/feed/0Now Available – Smoked Meats and More From Bear Creek Smokehouse in Marshall, TXhttp://texasfood.com/blog/bear-creek-smokehousemarshall/
http://texasfood.com/blog/bear-creek-smokehousemarshall/#commentsTue, 16 Apr 2013 14:00:10 +0000http://texasfood.com/blog/?p=887Nestled in the East Texas piney woods of Bear Bottom four generations of family tradition surrounds Bear Creek Smokehouse. Originating with Hick and Nellie Shoults who raised and cured their own smoked meats, the smokehouse has grown from a backyard smokehouse with 600 birds in 1943 to today’s large facility producing a wide variety of smoked delights though never compromising the quality and taste of the “old-fashioned” way of hickory-smoking.

We are now offering several high quality products from Bear Creek Smokehouse including bacon and smoked turkeys to brisket and pork tenderloin. Whether you want to prepare a special dinner or give the ultimate gift, you can't go wrong with one of these fine products. For a unique and irresistibly delicious flavor combination, check out Bacon Bark - Chocolate Covered Bacon!